Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham: Leading Collaborative Efforts in Environmental Education
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has long been committed to fostering sustainability, climate resilience, and environmental education through strategic collaborations with global and national organizations. By working with institutions like UNESCO Chairs, international and national NGOs and local authorities, Amrita has implemented programs that directly address global challenges like climate change, resource depletion, and sustainable development.
UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation & Development
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is proud to host the UNESCO Chair, which focuses on creating sustainable innovation through experiential learning. This collaboration helps implement global frameworks for:
Disaster Resilience: Building communities that can withstand and adapt to environmental challenges and climate change impacts.
Sustainable Development: Promoting practical tools for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Community Empowerment: Educating the next generation of climate leaders and equipping them with the tools to make a difference.
India Presence
1200
Communities
28
Indian States
Consultations on Curriculum Development with Academic Partners and NGO’s
The UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation and Development held an International symposium on Sustainable Innovation and Development by bringing together experts including representatives such as UNESCO Chairs, academicians and experts to deliberate, assess and evaluate the global curriculum for sustainable development from Dec 11 to 13 2023. Amrita has been spearheading the development of a global curriculum on sustainable development applicable to select 14 SDGs by virtue of the UNESCO Chair.
60
Participants
24
Countries
The symposium encompassed in-depth deliberations on global curriculum and initiatives on several thematic areas including Climate Change, Water Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, Disaster Resilience through case studies, exploring the need, requirements, and challenges of a global curriculum for sustainable innovation and development.
Civil 20 India (C20) Working Group: Sustainable and Resilient Communities
Amrita hosted the Civil 20 India 2023 Working Group on Sustainable and Resilient Communities – Climate, Environment and Net Zero Targets. The working group had a total of 790+ registered CSO members, out of which 290 CSO’s were working in the area of climate, environment and net zero targets.
Organized various educational and policy-focused events addressing topics related to the environment, climate change, and achieving net-zero targets. By collaborating with prominent NGO’s through dialogues, there was knowledge sharing in the following areas from Feb’23 to June’23.
Building Resilience in a Changing Climate
Preserving Life on Earth: The Importance of Biodiversity Conservation
Decoding Results Based Climate Finance (RBCF): Strategies for Success
Round Table on Green Finance
Climate and Biodiversity: Strategies, Challenges and Solutions
Civilization Resilience: Missing Link in Climate Action & Social Justice for Heritage Sites and Communities
Climate Change and Health Resilience
Reshaping Agriculture and Food Systems to face the Climate and Biodiversity Crisis
Climate Resilience: Bridging the gap between multihazard modeling, Technological Solutions and Community Capacity
Compassion in Disaster Management – Building Community Resilience in Disaster Prone Environments
Water Governance and Environmental Sustainability
Dialogue on Climate Change, Health & Disasters – Insights for the G20
Adapting Architectural Design, Settlement Planning and Practice to Climate Change: An International Perspective
Gender Responsive Climate Action
Unveiling the Impacts of Climate Change and Fostering Environmental Sustainability in Africa
Climate Resilience Strategies for a Changing World
Amrita’s C20 initiatives with SRC Working Group contributed to initiatives that encouraged:
Sustainable Development Literacy: Educating individuals on SDG frameworks and sustainable practices.
Disaster Management: Equipping communities with knowledge on disaster preparedness, particularly in vulnerable areas.
Energy Literacy: Raising awareness of energy-efficient technologies and sustainable energy systems.
This partnership has helped impact more than 200 participants, including educators and students, across schools, colleges, and communities in India.
Collaborative MoU’s in the Areas of Climate, Environment and Net Zero Targets
MoUs were signed with the following organizations to advance our journey towards achieving the UN SDGs
Details about key partnerships
Collaborations with CANSA: Climate Action Network South Asia Amrita’s partnership with CANSA is focused on advancing sustainable agricultural practices. This collaboration aims to:
Provide farmers with knowledge on eco-friendly farming techniques such as agroecology, soil conservation, and water management.
Foster climate-resilient farming systems that can adapt to changing environmental conditions, particularly in rural and underserved regions.
The training programs developed through this partnership are helping local farmers increase productivity while reducing their environmental impact.
Industree: Empowering Rural Enterprises Amrita’s collaboration with Industree focuses on supporting rural artisans and small-scale industries in adopting sustainable production methods. This initiative has enabled:
Eco-friendly production techniques that reduce resource waste and minimize carbon footprints.
Providing artisans with the tools and training they need to transition towards sustainable livelihoods.
Capacity building in rural areas to promote sustainable economic growth.
Through this collaboration, Amrita is helping rural communities create long-term, environmentally conscious livelihoods.
Team Environment Kenya: Raising Awareness on Environmental Sustainability Working with the Team Environment Kenya, Amrita University has launched a series of community-based environmental education programs aimed at:
Waste Management: Educating communities on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste.
Water Conservation: Training local communities on methods to conserve water in regions facing water scarcity.
Biodiversity Protection: Promoting conservation initiatives to protect local ecosystems and wildlife.
The collaborative projects supported by Vasudha Foundation have made a direct impact in educating and empowering local communities to take charge of their environmental footprint.
Noteworthy Programs and Workshops
Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development Workshops in Sikkim
Amrita’s educational programs have been implemented in areas where they are needed the most. In Sikkim, Amrita collaborated with the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA), International Consortium on Landslides (ICL), and International Program on Landslides (IPL) to conduct:
A 2-day disaster resilience workshop, training 85 participants from Nar Bahadur Bhandari Government College, Deorali Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School, and Tadong Senior Secondary School in Gangtok.
A Sustainable Development workshop for 34 teachers from leading schools in the region, focusing on SDG literacy, sustainability assessments, and community resilience.
Empowering Educators and Communities Through its collaborations, Amrita has equipped teachers, students, and community leaders with the knowledge and skills to promote sustainability. Following the training sessions, Mrs. Ranjana Lama, a teacher at Modern Senior Secondary School, conducted a Sustainable Development awareness session for her school, inspiring both students and faculty to adopt greener practices.
Compassion Driven Chaupals (C-chaupals)
C-Choupals were held across 11 Indian states to organise inclusive and participatory meetings of all sections of rural communities across India. The discussions are held in common areas of rural villages where community members gather for discussions, an area commonly known as Chaupals. The participants included villagers, village administration, representatives, local NGO partners, health workers, Self Help Group members, farmers, and women folks among many others.
35
Chaupals
27
Villages
2200
Participants
11
Indian States Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Kerala, West Bengal, Maharashtra
The discussions with the villagers created awareness about pressing issues related to environmental sustainability, climate change adaptation, agriculture, water conservation etc.
Global Seedball Campaign
The Global Seedball Campaign was launched in collaboration with the C20 India SRC working group with an objective to promote environmental sustainability and restoration of ecosystems by producing and distributing over a million seedballs. The campaign was spread across 5 continents and 12 Indian states with active participation from 500,000+ stakeholders including multiple state governments, school and college students, non-governmental organisations, individuals and institutions. The campaign helped to educate and create awareness about the importance of environmental sustainability, resilience to climate change and importance of biodiversity conservation through events such as workshops and awareness sessions.
The campaign, first launched in Kerala, India, in April 2023 quickly spread across states like Sikkim, Orissa, Telangana, AP, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand in collaboration with various institutional partners and other eminent dignitaries.
Over a period of 7 months, more than 2 million seedballs have been produced and disbursed globally especially in areas with a special focus on fragile ecosystems. Globally the campaign was carried out successfully in North America, Europe, Japan, Africa and Australia.
